Sealed package



July 6, 1937. v H b COR, 2,086,119

SEALED PACKAGE Filed July 1, 1955 ENT'OR M ATTORNEY Patented July 6, 1937 iJNiTE srrss rice 7.

SEALED PACKAGE Eavid Corin, Larchmont, N. Y., assignor to Anchor Cap &

Closure Corporation,

Long

The present invention relates to the sealing art, and more particularly toa sealed package.

Various products, such as jams,jellies,preserves, vegetables and the like, are packed in large quantities for sale particularly to housewives. With most of the products packed, it is necessary to provide a hermetic seal to preserve the product.

Two general typesof containers have been used for this purpose, namely, tin cans and glass containers sealed with metal caps. Glass jars are particularly desirable because of their beauty and transparency and because of the artistic shapes and configurations which may be utilized. The metal caps used on these jars form an excellent l5 seal but mar the appearance of the package to a considerable extent. The popular types of caps are distorted in removal and cannot be used for covering or resealing the products. A cover or seal for the product during consumption is very desirable. Even inthe modern electrical or gas refrigerators, the housewife desires to keep all products covered. Metal screw caps which can be used for resealing ordinarily do not make secure seals. In addition, the metal caps contact with the product, which is usually of a sticky nature, and acquire an unsanitary appearance. Glass caps have greater beauty than metal caps but, due to limitations in the manufacture of glass, it is not feasible to make and use them on glass containers, since the tolerances in size necessary in the making of glass caps and containers are such as to impair the security and reliability of'the seal. Failure of as much as one percent of the seals would bar the cap from beingused commercially.

The present invention aims to eliminate or minimize the difificulties of the prior art by providing a secure seal and also a cover for the package after the package is opened. The invention also aims to'improve'the appearance of the package and to facilitate distribution of instructions, recipes and advertising matter to the consumer.

An object of the present invention is toimprove the appearance of a package sealed with a metal closure cap;

Another object of the invention is to provide a secure seal on a package and also a cover for use during consumption of the product. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a package sufiiciently attractive to be placed on the table during consumption of the contents, thus eliminating the desirability of using separate,

embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invenpreferred embodiment of the completed package;

' Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the package, as shown inFigil; f

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, illustrating the relation of the parts of the package; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3, showing a. different form' of seal between the metal cap and glass container;

Fig.5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating theopen package with the cover in place for rescaling; g r I Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 4,

illustrating a slightly different construction of cover; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another form of clip.

Referring again to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a glass container lhaving vertical ribs 2 thereon adapted to enhance the beauty thereof. The upper end cfthe container'is provided with a rim 4 and an annular tapered portion 5 leading to a substantially vertical sealing surface ii; A shoulder 1 is'pref'erably formed below the sealing surface to: enhance the appearance of the package and also to provide a pry-off ledge for removing the metal closure cap. 1

Any suitable closure cap may be utilized for sealing the package but, as shown herein, the

closure cap comprises a cover portion 8 and a part to flare outwardly, as shown more particu-- larly in Fig. 3, or the lower part of the bead may be constricted inwardly, as shown in Fig. ,4. :The

bottom of the skirt of thecap is spaced slightly from the shoulder l so that a knife or suitable tool may be inserted under the cap to pry it oif.

As pointed out hereinbefore, a metal closure cap such as the one illustrated is ordinarily deformed in the removal operation and, in addition, the cap has been in contact with the product and, hence, is in a sticky condition, which makes its further use distasteful to the housewife. The cap is usually thrown away and the package is covered by some improvised means, such as a iece of wax paper. The present invention contemplates the provision of a glass cover having a cover portion 52 and a depending skirt 14. The outer periphery of the skirt may have vertical ribs or knurls to improve the appearance and to facilitate gripping. The upper part of the cover may have a decoration formed thereon to improve the appearance and the under side of the cover preferably has a series of radial ribs H5. The glass cover is placed over the closure cap and is preferably of a size to telescope over the upper part of the bead l!) of the cap and to rest on the lower flared part thereof. The bead supports the glass cover and the relative size of the cover and bead is such that the glass cover is substantially nested on the metal cap and lateral movement is prevented. If the lower part of the bead is constricted as shown in Fig. 4, the inner part of the skirt of the glass cover should rest substantially against the flared part of the metal skirt so that the cover cannot slide laterally,

The glass cover may be held'in position by any suitable means, as here shown, by a clip [6 or other suitable member, the shape of which is shown more particularly in Fig. 1. The lower edges I l of the clip it maybe turned inwardly to engage beneath the skirt of the closure cap, as shown in Fig. 1, or if desired, beneath the shoulder 7 on the glass container to hold the cover cap in position. The clip preferably comprises a relatively narrow fiat portion made of sheet metal, which extends over the cover part of the cap and vertical portions extending downwardly over the side of the cap and terminating in the inturned ends H, which hold the clip in position.

It will be understood, of course, that other forms of clips may be utilized, for example in Fig. 7, a perspective view is shown of a clip lBa formed from wire of suitable thickness, in which the inturned end portions l'la may engage under the cap or under the shoulder l in the same way as described with reference to the clip [6. The advantages of the wire clip are that it is inexpensive to manufacture and covers a minimum area of the glass cover so that one loolnng at the cap will be able to see through the center of the cap.

In opening the package, the clip IE or 16m may be removed by sliding it off the cap or by prying the depending ends to release the inturned portion ll or Ha. Thereafter, the glass cover is removed and a suitable tool, such as a bottle openor or a knife, is utilized to remove the metal closure cap. The metal closure cap can be thrown away and thereafter the glass cover may be placed on the container, as shown in Fig. 5. The ribs 15 will then engage the rim of the container and support the cover at these contacting points, whereby the major part of the cover is spaced from the rim of the container, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5. If the product covers any portions of the rim, it does not get on the cover to any material extent. The lower edge of the skirt i l of the cover may also be spaced slightly from the shoulder 1 of the container or, if desired to form a tighter cover, it may contact with the shoulder, as shown in Fig. 6.

If desired, the ends of the ribs i5 may be eliminated above the rim of the container and the rim of the container may fit tightly against the cover of the cap throughout its periphery, whereupon the end of the skirt of the cover may engage the shoulder l, as shown in Fig. 6, or may be spaced from the shoulder, as shown in Fig. 5.

As illustrated more particularly in Fig. 3, the inside of the cover is spaced from the top of the closure cap. This space may be utilized for enclosing a small pamphlet i 9 of recipes, directions, advertising matter, small articles or openers. The cover parts of these items may be decorated to show through the glass cover and enhance the appearance of the package.

Products packed in glass containers ordinarily cost more than the same products would cost if packed in tin cans, but purchasers buy the glass packages in preference to the tin cans primarily because of the beauty and transparency of the package. An important feature of the present invention is that theglass cover practically conceals from the average observer the metal closure, and gives the appearance of a package formed entirely of glass, which is highly desirable in the trade and, at the same time, gives the security of seal which is obtainable only with a metal cap.

In addition, the glass cover is equally useful in improving the appearance of the container when it is used as a cover during the consumption of the product. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the clip, there is little difference in appearance between the package sealed with a metal cap and the jar with the metal cap removed. With the glass cover, the jar has sufficient beauty and attractiveness to be placed directly on the table and this eliminates the necessity for removal of a portion of the contents of the jar to. a suitable table dish. Another advantage of the construction is that the glass cover may be, if desired, made in the form of an article useful for covering other containers in refrigerators or useful for holding glasses and preventing the moisture therefrom from damaging the furniture when the glasses are set down.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a package having all the security and advantages of a metal cap seal and all the beauty of a package formed entirely of glass. The objection to the best types of closure caps, that they cannot be used for reseal purposes, is entirely eliminated by the use of an attached glass cover, and the appearance of the jar is enhanced during the consumption of the product and may be used directly on the table. After the products have been consumed, the jar and glass cover are equally useful for dispensing other products which may be transferred thereto. In other words, it may be used on the table instead of table dishes purchased for the purpose. The reuse value of the jar and cover and its enhanced. appearance fully justify the small additional cost of the cover.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sealed package comprising the combination of a glass container, a metal closure cap telescoped over the mouth of the container and forming a seal on said container, said closure cap having an outwardly extending skirt part, a glass cover extending over said closure and having a depending flange resting upon said outwardly exteding part of the closure cap and a clip engaging'the lower edge of the skirt for holding said glass cover on said closure.

2. A sealed package comprising the combination of a glass container, a metal closure cap forming a seal on said container, said closure cap having an outwardly extending part, an annular shoulder on said container below and spaced slightly from said outwardly extending part of the closure cap to facilitate removal thereof, a glass cover extending over said closure cap and having a depending flange resting upon the outwardly extending part of said closure cap, the outer periphery of said flange being substantially in line with the outer periphery of said annular shoulder to minimize the visibility of the metal closure cap, and means for holding said glass cover on said closure cap.

3. A sealed package comprising the combination of a glass container, a metal closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt with a bead therein, a resilient gasket housed in said bead having its lower side partially exposed, the lower part of said bead being reformed tocompress said gasket against the container, a glass cover nested on said cap with the bottom of the cover resting upon the top of the bead, the inner periphery of said cover bottom being substantially in engagement with the skirt of the cap to prevent lateral movement of the cover, and a clip extending over said cover with the lower ends in engagement with the bottom of the closure cap and the exposed portion of the resilient gasket for holding said cover in position.

4. A sealed package comprising the combination of a glass container, a closure cap telescoped over said container and forming a seal on said container, said closure cap having an outwardly i extending shelf, a glass cover extending over said closure cap and having a depending flange resting upon the shelf of said closure cap, said depending flange being sufficiently large in internal diameter to telescope over the mouth of the container to form a cover therefor, the horizontal part of. said glass cover being spaced from the top of said closure cap to permit advertising matter to be placed between said glass cover and said closure cap cover and means engaging the bottom'of said closure cap for holding said glass cover on said closure cap.

5. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a glass container, a metal closure cap sealed on said container, said cap having a shelf portion thereon, a glass cover having a depending skirt adapted to be seated on the shelf of said closure cap, whereby said glass cover is supported out of contact with said glass container to prevent breakage of the container and cover and to give the appearance of an all-glass package, said glass cover being adapted to be used as a cover forthe jar after the closure cap is removed, and means engaging the closure cap for holding said glass cover on said closure cap.

6. A sealed package comprising the combination of a glass container having an annular shoulder and having an external sealing zone adjacent the rim thereof, a sheet metal closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a gasket housed in said skirt, said cap being sealed to the container through the intermediation of said gasket, the bottom of said cap being spaced slightly from said annular shoulder to provide space for the clip to engage the bottom of the cap to hold the cover thereon, the skirt of said cap having an outwardly extending shelf, a glass cover having a depending flange telescoped about the upper end of the cap and resting on and supported by said shelf, whereby said glass cover is supported, out of contact with the glass jar to prevent breakage of the glass jar and cover, and a metallic clip extending over said glass cover and engaging the bottom of the metal cap to hold the cover thereon, said glass cover having an external diameter substantially equal to the exter-' nal. diameter of the annular shoulder on the container to minimize the noticeability of the metal closure and to give substantially the appearance of an all-glass package.

DAVID CORIN. 

